FAQ

for the teams

What is the deadline to register with ESA for the final?

The deadline to register is 06.10.2023. If you already registered, and have not yet heard back within 3 days, please contact us.

Do I have to pay for my travel to the event?

You need to arrange and pay for your own travel. After the event ESA will reimburse travel and accommodation costs up to 400EUR per participant. Make sure to keep the receipts.

What is the schedule for the event?

Currently, we cannot share the schedule for the event, as it is being finalized. However, the event starts at 9:00 am on October 17, will go on throughout the day, and end approximately at 2:00 am on October 18 (the following day).

What equipment is necessary and what is allowed to bring on-site?

A laptop with a WiFi card is enough. If you want, you can bring standard peripherals (i.e., mouse, keyboard, screen). Bringing specialised hacking hardware on-site (e.g., Rubber Ducky, Pineapple) is not necessary and not allowed.
Note we do not provide any equipment to the participants.

Will there be food at the event?

Yes, the participants will be provided with breakfast, lunch, and snacks.

What's the process of participating?

Once qualification challenges open, you solve them. Instructions on how to hand in your solutions will be provided together with the challenges. If you get qualified, then you register with ESA to come on-site in October to Pwn The Rover.

I am not a student. Can I participate?

No. Only actively enrolled students can participate in the challenge.

I am a PhD student, but also employed by the university. Can I participate?

You can participate if you are enrolled in an official PhD program of your university that gives you student status. It doesn’t matter whether you are also employed or not.

I am not a citizen of one of the listed countries. Can I participate then?

No. You must be a citizen (i.e., be eligible for a passport) of at least one of the following countries to participate:
Austria, Belgium, Bulgaria, Canada, the Czech Republic, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, France, Germany, Great Britain, Greece, Hungary, Ireland, Italy, Latvia, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Malta, the Netherlands, Norway, Poland, Portugal, Romania, the Slovak Republic, Slovenia, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland.

I have a team already, can only one person from the team register?

Every single person from the team has to register.

I have a team already. Can we participate as a team?

You can specify your team members during the registration. Still, every single person from the team needs to register.

Can I share the solutions to the qualification challenge with others?

Yes, but be aware that if you share it outside of your team, you decrease your chances of being selected for the participation on-site.

How many people will be selected to the final event and how?

We plan to select 40 people to come to ESOC in October from the candidates that solve the qualification challenge. Number of participants selected will be limited per university and per country. Moreover, priority will be given to the pre-made teams of 5 people.